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OSI Group

Sheldon Lavin is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of OSI Group, an international processor of beef and poultry products. Sheldon Lavin joined the company in the 1970s at a time when it was known an Otto & Sons. At the time, he was an investment consultant and was helping the company get finance for its expanding operations. Sheldon became a partner in 1975 as the sons of Otto & sons were nearly their retirement years and they needed someone to lead the company as it transitioned to a large entity.

Under the leadership of Sheldon Lavin, OSI Group has grown from a domestic food processing company into an international leader in the food industry with over 65 facilities in over 17 countries. The company employs more than 20,000 individuals across the globe. OSI Group opened its first facility outside Chicago in the late 1970s under the leadership of Sheldon Lavin.

On February 2016, Sheldon was awarded the Global Visionary Award by Vision World Academy in India. He was given this award because of his exemplary work in transforming OSI Group from a domestic food processor to an international food processor. The company has impacted lives of many individuals through job creation either directly or indirectly. On receiving the award, Sheldon Lavin said he was honored to win the prestigious award and would continue committing his life to the company and its employees.

OSI Group has also received many awards due to its efforts in environmental sustainability under the leadership of Sheldon. Sheldon hopes that the next generation of corporate leaders will give priority to environmental matters. He is advising the next corporate leaders to dedicate their lives to growing their companies and creating opportunities for their employees.

Sheldon’s experience in investment and banking sector was pivotal in helping OSI Group grow to the multinational it is today. OSI Group was ranked number 58 on Forbes list of largest private companies in the US in 2016. Today, OSI Group provides a series of value-added proteins to the ever increasing client base. The company allows local management that understands the market better but coordinates with the parent company that provides financing.

Many people around the world known Sheldon Lavin as the visionary CEO behind the success of the global meat and food processing giant the OSI Group. But long before he became involved in the food processing industry, Lavin had a successful career as a financial services professional with a background in banking. His involvement with the OSI Group began in 1970. The company needed to purchase equipment and expand into new facilities, so they turned to Lavin’s firm for help. After getting them the money, Lavin developed an interest in the company. He realized they had great potential.

When Lavin was offered the opportunity to purchase the company in the 1980s, he did. He then created a plan that has led the OSI Group to become one of the world’s largest food processing companies. By building facilities throughout the United States, Europe and Asia, Sheldon Lavin has equipped the company to meet the food needs of a diverse global market. Known for his good corporate governance, Lavin has taken steps to ensure the company’s facilities meet the strictest standards for food safety and environmental sustainability. This work has earned him international praise and several awards.

The caring family atmosphere Sheldon Lavin has cultivated among the staff has earned him their love and affection. Employees call Lavin by his first name, regularly have lunch with him and have a standing invitation to come to him with their ideas, questions and concerns. And Lavin’s caring nature extends to the international community as well. He is a generous philanthropist that gives a lot to charity. While Sheldon Lavin has had a great number of outstanding achievements since becoming CEO, giving back to his staff and the community are most important to him.

While he is at the age when most people are looking to sit back, relax and rest on their laurels, Sheldon Lavin shows no sign of slowing down. Although he spends a great deal of quality time with his wife and children, he is still aware of and involved in the day to day operations of the OSI Group. A good deal of his focus is on ensuring that the company is heading in the right direction, providing the best, tastiest, most nutritious products for its customers and is set up to continue to succeed long into the future. For Sheldon Lavin, that will be an important part of his legacy.

Sheldon Lavin, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of OSI Group, LLC, has risen to the highest peaks of the meat industry today, but prior to his domination in the world of meat services. Mr. Lavin had already secured a successful career on a very different avenue. Sheldon Lavin began his career in the banking industry, becoming a very successful executive and investor, while simultaneously heading his own investment consulting firm.

Today, OSI Group is one of the largest corporations involved in meat industry, employing nearly 20,000 people around the world. OSI Group has seen a considerable amount of longevity in the business world, having a very low turnover rate with the majority of its employees, and many would attribute this level of consistency to the family-oriented mantra that Mr. Lavin has implemented. While Mr. Lavin has seen an unparalleled level of success within the meat industry, he has always taken a people first approach, which has solidly contributed to the solid infrastructure within the corporation.

Sheldon Lavin had first introduction to the meat industry in 1970 when he was asked to help secure funding for Otto and Son’s, which would eventually transform into the global powerhouse, OSI Group. In the initial deal with Otto and Son’s, Mr. Lavin would secure funding that would allow Otto and Son’s to build a major meat processing factory, and in turn, become the supplier for McDonald’s Corporation in the Midwest. During the deal, the bank asked Mr. Lavin to join Otto and Son’s in order to keep operations running smoothly, and while he initially turned down the offer, he stayed on as a consultant for the next few years. By 1975, Mr. Lavin had become significantly more involved many of OSI Group’s overseas operations and later that year, he was asked by McDonald’s Corporation to become a full partner with OSI Group. After becoming a full partner with OSI Group, Mr. Lavin would oversee the forward expansion of OSI Group in the 1980’s, laying the foundation for the global powerhouse that it is today.